


December 1991

by CloakedSparrow



Series: Marvel Ficlets & Headcanons Collection [15]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Ending, Avengers Family, Canonical Character Death, Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Friendship, Gen, Hydra, No Romance, No Sex, Past Brainwashing, Past Violence, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sad with a Happy Ending, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-31
Updated: 2017-05-31
Packaged: 2018-11-07 01:56:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11048886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CloakedSparrow/pseuds/CloakedSparrow
Summary: An MCU Civil War alternate ending wherein Zemo doesn't know everything that happened the night of the Starks deaths and Tony doesn't attempt murder.





	December 1991

**Author's Note:**

> In Earth-616 (the main comics universe) its mentioned that the Winter Soldier once went AWOL when sent on an assignment in the US. He was recaptured on his way to New York (where he was not supposed to be) and put through more mental recalibration. The belief here is that something triggered some of Bucky’s memories and he basically tried to escape and go home. That is what brought on this idea.

After the Starks were in their fatal crash, Tony was informed that someone had clearly been at the scene before the police arrived. There were no prints or clear evidence of who, but someone had removed his mother from the vehicle and attempted CPR. Someone had laid his father on his side and used his phone to call emergency services. There were motorcycle tracks that led the police nowhere, but they had a few ideas on why the person might have fled.

A) The person left to try to get help to them quicker and then was simply lost in the shuffle of things.  
B) The person was part of a motorcycle gang or an outlaw of some sort who didn’t want to be there when the authorities showed up.  
C) The person felt that they were responsible for the accident somehow, despite there being no signs of foul play, and tried to help but ran once the Starks passed.

Stane didn’t want any controversy surrounding the company name and his friends' tragic death. Tony didn’t like the idea that the authorities might try to arrest someone who had tried to save his mother. They pulled every string necessary to keep this information out of any official or public reports. As far as everyone who hadn’t directly investigated the case knew, the Starks were in an accident on an icy road and died on impact.

Twenty-five years later, Zemo plays the tape for Tony, expecting to show him that Captain America’s best friend murdered his parents while brainwashed.

The car crashes. The Winter Soldier approaches as Howard crawls out of his seat. The Winter Soldier grabs him and raises his bionic fist, clearly about to end his life, when Howard looks at him in shock and asks, “Sergeant Barnes?”

The Winter Soldier hesitates. Blinks. Looks around. His expression slowly changes from the icy blank stare to confusion and finally, devastation. He releases Howard and steps away, breathing heavy. He starts blinking away tears. 

Howard staggers forward, gravely injured. He manages to ask after his wife one more time. Bucky steadies himself and moves around the car to check her pulse. Then he removes her from the vehicle.

The car is blocking the camera's view of Bucky with Maria Stark. Zemo had assumed he was finishing her off after a moment of confusion at hearing his name for the first time in decades, but Tony knows the truth. He knows Bucky is trying to save his mother. After enough time has passed for Bucky to realize its going to take a lot more than CPR to keep Maria Stark alive, he comes back around to Howard.

Howard had tried to call for help while Bucky was with Maria, but had either passed out or died before he could dial. Bucky checks Howard’s pulse and looks sad. Then he picks up the phone, calls for help and puts it down by Howard again. He looks around, stunned, frightened, yet determined. And then he leaves.

A car stops by shorty afterwards. Two Hydra agents step out, check the scene, grab something from the trunk of the car and then leave in a hurry, heading in the direction that Bucky had fled. The video ends a moment later, just as the paramedics arrive that Tony knows will declare his parents dead.

It takes Tony a moment to respond. He knew his parents hadn't died as quickly as most believed. He'd had decades to come to terms with the loss of them. But it was still difficult to watch the footage, to see them suffering. When he finally clears his head enough too look at Bucky, the other man looks upset as well. 

"I'm sorry..." Bucky lowered his gun and blinked back tears. His voice was rough and distant. Probably reliving the memory for the first time since he broke through Hydra's brainwashing. "I couldn't help them." 

"You tried." That had always meant something. Knowing that if his mother had been aware that she was dying, she at least knew someone had tried to help. For a woman who always looked for the good in people, it would have been a great comfort. 

Tony turned to Steve and was surprised to see that the large man looked ashamed, like a huge, guilty kid. Tony felt like he'd been sucker punched. "You knew?"

"I suspected." Steve's tone and expression suggested he knew that was enough that he should have said something. "Zola suggested it had been Hydra. I didn't know if it was true or that Bucky was involved. I didn't want to reopen an old wound if it was just something he said to distract me."

Tony clenched his jaw and offered a short nod. It wasn't good enough and Steve knew it, but it was also a reasonable answer and Tony had to admit it. They weren't okay, but they would be. In time. Tony still wasn't sure he wouldn't end up punching Steve in his perfect teeth after all this was over.

T’Challa must have been hiding somewhere nearby, most likely waiting to get the drop on Bucky, whom he apologized to rather than attacking as usual. He gave Tony a moment to compose himself and offered to take Zemo in. Tony had all but forgotten about the man who'd led them there. Part of him wanted to lash out at the man. He'd tried to use his parents deaths to tear Tony from the new family he'd finally found. 

Steve gave Tony a look that suggested he understood, possibly even felt the same. But he thanked T'Challa and said that would probably be best. He said he and Bucky still had something to do. 

That's when Tony remembered their other friends and fellow Avengers. The ones he'd helped arrest and put away. He helped Steve and Bucky break the others out of The Raft and then dropped them off at T’Challa’s plane before heading back to check on Rhodey and Vision. Tony needed to help Rhodey recover. He would also be sure to give Ross hell while the others recouped and received better gear in Wakanda.

The next time there was trouble, political or otherwise, the Avengers would be ready and stronger than ever.


End file.
